Conradh na Gaeilge is made up of over 200 branches in Ireland and abroad, working as part of a national movement for the Irish language. Branches are made up of people, usually volunteering, to achieve aims and goals. Some of the branches are focused on specific areas (like Craobh Chathair Luimnigh, Craobh Londan), and some are subject specific (like Craobh Na Gaeil Óga, Craobh Raidió Rí-Rá).
These include university branches, which often go by 'Cumann Gaelach' or ‘Cuallacht’. These branches work in colleges and universities to promote the Irish language and to build and strengthen language communities on their various campuses.
Conradh na Gaeilge and University Branches
The relationship between Conradh na Gaeilge and university Irish language societies has developed significantly over the years. The organization provides support and training to committees every year, facilitates contact with other societies and groups and has a full-time coordinator to work towards the needs and aspirations of third level branches.
The Committee
In each branch there is a committee made up of elected officers tasked with carrying out various aspects of the branch's work. Here, common roles are described, and the typical work they do is explained.
This is only a guide to common aspects of officer roles, and it is worth remembering that different officers may have different duties, depending on the year, college and so on. Also, depending on the branch some of these officers might not feature on certain committees, and there may be other officers on committees that are not mentioned here.
Senior Officers
- Chairperson: This officer is also often referred to as President or Auditor. The Chair is responsible for the work of the committee. They direct the work of the committee, and speak publicly on behalf of the branch.
- Deputy/Vice Chairperson: The Deputy Chair assists the Chairperson in their work, and assumes the duties of the Chair when the Chair is unable to carry them out.
- Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for correspondences of the branch. It is their responsibility to keep minutes at meetings, prepare reports, fill in forms and so on.
- Treasurer: The Treasurer is responsible for the finances of the branch, managing expenditure and dealing with cash applications, grants, membership fees etc. Decisions usually have to be made in conjunction with the Chairperson, as well as with committee input.
Junior Officers
- Public Relations Officer / Technology Officer: This Officer or these Officers work to keep members and the public informed on the activities of the society. They run social media pages and send out weekly emails. They design graphics for posters and promote the society and events.
- Ents Officer: The Ents Officer is responsible for coming up with and organizing events. This includes responsibility for arranging music, venues and so on.
- Debating Officer: The Debating Officer organizes internal competitions, and prepares teams for participation in national competitions.
Other Common Officers
- Sponsorship Officer
- Drama Officer
- Campaigns Officer
- Media Officer
- Freshers’ Officer
- 2/3/4 Year Officer
- Publications Officer
- Social Officer
- Deputy Ents Officer / Public Relations Officer / etc.
- Ordinary Committee Members
Supports
Conradh na Gaeilge is always happy to assist Irish Societies with advice, planning, discussion of ideas and so on. We have a Third Level coordinator on hand and ready to help you with anything you might need as a society officer. The current coordinator is Eímear Nig Oireachtaigh, who can be contacted at
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) represents students in most third level colleges and universities, and has a Vice President for Irish to represent the Irish language community at third level. Among their work, they provide support to Irish societies in their affiliated colleges, so they are a great source of help. The current Vice President is Orlagh Ní Choistealbha, who can be contacted at
